Railway booster



M. H. RQBERTS kAILwAY BOS'lER Filed Sept. 5, 1925 July 10,1928.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 10, 1928.

1,676,575 M. H. ROBERTS RAILWAL BOOSTER Filed se 't. 5'. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 description hereinafter of a selected and scribed, the construction and operation of 7 Patented July 10, 1928. I A i .1 NITED STATES PATENT FFlCli.

MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FRANKLIN RAIL- WAY SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. Y

RAILWAY BOOSTER.

Application filed September 5, 1925. Serial No. 54,600.

, My invention relates to railway boosters, ture 11 may conveniently consist of a bed i and is especially concerned with structural plate casting such as shown in Figs. 3 and 1 features, such as the casing and framing and as its main strength member, and suitable the mounting of the cylinders. I aim to cover plates, bearing parts, etc, secured 6 make the construction as strong and rigid as thereto. The booster engines are arranged 60 possible; to eliminate or minimize vibraone at either side of the structure 11,'with tion and the tendency of the parts to work their common transverse crank shaft 1'1; or to loosen from one another in service; adjacent and paralleling the axle 10. As and also, preferably, to obviate or minimize here shown, the cylinders 13, 13 and their interference of the booster with other parts associated valve chests 15 and steam and eX- 65 of the railway vehicle equipmentfand espehaust passages 16, 17 are in'a transverse cially with removal of draw bar pins. I-Iow structure 18 detachably secured to the corthese and other advantages can be realized responding end of the frame and casing through the invention will appear from my structure 11. Except as hereinafter depreferred b di t, 1 the engines and the booster mechanism core In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of respond substantially to structures already a booster embodying my invention, a por- 1111188 and described in the above mentioned tion of itsv casing beingremoved to show p ten s, so that no'generaldescription there- 20 the parts within, and certain parts being of 1s necessary I 2 ho i horizontal tion, I 'Instead of having only the middle portion Fi 2 shows a ti l lo itudi l of 1ts cylinder structure 18 (containing the tion through the middle portion of the valve chests l5 and the steam d e st b t passages 16, 17 attached to the frame and Fi 3 i a i il i f th b t r casing structure 11, as heretofore, the booster frame or bed plate, with various associated here ShOWIl has its y rs 3, 3 l1emparts removed. selvesattached to the frame 11, substantially- Fig. 4 is a perspective tilted view of I 11116 W h the e s due e pist n the booster frame and easing structure from h As h wn 1n F1gs. 1, 2, and 8, an the li d d ith th li d d cyllnders 13,13 abut directly against the end the, top plates of the casing removed I .Of the frame 11 and are secured bOltS 19. In general'design and Operation as TO ItlllQVB the bolts the shearing and as in various features and details of conbendlng stresses (1118 t0 t ig of he struction, the booster here shown resembles Structure e End PQ UOII 20 of the structhose illustrated in United States Patents ture 11 5 p l Wlth a ledge 21,317,316 Nos. 1,600,427 and 1,602,124, issued, respecbottom on Whlch e structurelSrests. tively, on September 21, 1926 and October T attachment of the y n er 5, 1926. It comprises (see Figs. 1 and 2) ctly to the bed plate (Fig. which a couple of horizontal reciprocating steam forms the h Structure f the booster engines disconnectably driving the axle 1O f m fl casmg as above descrlbed, of a railway vehicle, such as a locomotive, m e obvlates ny tendency for h a tender, or a car. At one end, the booster p o thrust to rock the stfllcthres 11' nd i mounted about and Supported by the 18 relat1ve to one another, which is bound to axle 10 which it drives At or near exist where these structures are secured toother end, it may be supported from a getller only y their m i central suitable part, such as the vehicle frame or Portlons, a f the frame of a trailer or other truck to A best f 111 g- 7 the y r which the axle 10 belongs, in any suitable 13 have elr nds that abut against the manner (not shown). crank case end 20 closed, being-preferably i As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the booster cast withintegral end walls 22. To facilicomprises a main frame and easing structate the machining and finishing of the cyl- .ture 11, which is provided at one end with inder bores, they have anunder-cut groove bearings 12 for the axle 10 driven by the 23 at the closed end. As shown in Fig. 4, booster, and is attached to the booster cyl the end 20 of the frame and easing structure. inders 12%, 13 at the other ends The strut-3 11 is also closed, and is provided with lapel t ings and 26 through which the piston rod and valve rod stufiing boxes 27, 28, project, so as to be accessible from the interior of the casing 11 on removal of its top or side plates 30, 31.

In the present instance, the casing 11 does not enclose the entire space between the axle 10 and the cylinder structure 18, but, on the contrary, has a central well or opening 33 therethrough adjacent such structure 18, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Asshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the sides of this well 33 have openings 34 with removable cover plates 35. In the present instance, there is a web 36 across the bottom of the well 33, with a spherical seat 37 and a slot 38 for the vehicle or truck frame support of the booster (not shown). Access of dirt from above to the opening 38 may be prevented by a dished sheet metal cover or hat 39 secured to the web 36 overthe opening. The well 33 permit-s withdrawal or replacement of the draw bar pin (not shown) therethrough, especially in the case of a locomotive,without necessity for removal of the boosteror other attachments from the vehicle for this purosie.

D As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the axle 10 .is driven from the booster crank shaft 14 through gears 40, 42 on said axle and shaft. respectively, and a co-acting idler gear 43 on a rocker 4'4 pivoted to the bed plate of the frame structure 11 at 45. By swinging the rocker 44 to and fro, the pinion 43 is swung into or out of mesh with the axle gear 40, while remaining all the time ,in mesh "with thecrank shaft gear '42, and the booster thus entrained to assist the locomotive, or dlsentramed. As shown in Fig. 1, the mechanism for this purpose comprises a I pressure cylinder 46 that is removably mounted in an opening in the bottom of the bed plate, being constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as described in my Patent No. 1,602,120, issued on October 5, 1926. In the present instance, however, the spring 47 that tends to throw the pinion 43 "out of mesh with the gear when the pressure "is vented from the cylinder 46 is mounted and housed in a cylindrical casing 48'c'arried by a bracket 49' detachably secured to the transverse wall at the crank end of the well 33 inthe bed plate structure. An elastic buffer 51 is mounted on the bed plate to take the impact of a lug 52 on the rocker 44 when the spring 47 throws the gear 43 I out of mesh with the gear 40 to disentrain the booster.

I claim 1. A railway booster mechanismcomprising a bed plate provided at the rear end thereof with apair of transversely aligned walls, a multiple cylinder structure provided with an integrally formed end wall for each cylinder. and means for securing said cylin- 'of transversely aligned wall sections, each of said bearings being in substantial longi tudinal alignment with one of said wall sections, and a multiple cylinder structure provided with an integrally formed end wall for each cylinder, said cylinder structure being directly secured through said end walls to said rear wall sections of the bed plate. I I 0 3. A railway booster mechanism comprising a substantially horizontally disposed bed plate, a pair of transversely spaced wall sections at the rear end of said bed plate and a pair of cylinders detachably secured to the bed plate with their inner ends fitted against said spaced wall sections. 'i

4. A railway booster comprising a crank case and frame structure with apertured end wall, and cylinders with closed ends secured against said end wall, with: their stufling boxes accessible from the interior of the cas ing through said openings;

A railway booster mechanism comprising a substantially horizontally dispose-d bed plate, a pair of booster engines arranged at either side of said bed plate, and an integrally formed multiple cylinder structure arranged transversely across the rear end of said bed plate, each of thecylinders being substantially in line with its respective engine so as to minimize any tendency forpiston thrusts to rock said cylinder structure with respect to the bed plate.

v6. A railway booster mechanism comprising a substantially horizontally disposed bed plate of generally U-shape and an integrally formed multiple cylinder structure extending transversely across and secured to the ends of'the U.

7. A railway booster comprising a U- shaped crankcase and frame structure with apertured end walls for the U legs, and cylinders with closed ends secured against the ends of the U legs. their stuffing boxes being accessible from the interior of the casing through said openings. I

8. A railway booster mechanism comprising a bed plate, the rear portion of which is provided with a pair of transversely spaced rearwardly extending compartn'ients,

a w'all'at the rear end of each of said compartments, and a multiple cylinder structure extending transversely across the entire width of the rear end of said bed plate and attached to said walls.

9. Locomotive booster mechanism comprising in combination a substantially hori zontally disposed bed plate, a pair of transversely extending spaced upstanding wall vllU sections at an end thereof, and a booster cylinder on each of said sections projecting outwardly therefrom. 10. Locomotive booster mechanism comprising in combination a substantially horizontally disposed bed plate, an engine receiving pocket in each side of said bed plate, a crank shaft bearing near the forward end of each pocket, a transversely extending upstanding wall section at the rear end of each pocket. and a booster cylinder on each of said wall sections extending rearwardly therefrom.

' 11. Locomotive booster mechanism comprising in combination a substantially horizontally disposed bed plate, axle engaging means at one end, a pair of transversely extending spaced upstanding wall sections at the other end, and a booster cylinder on each of said wall sections projecting outwardly therefrom away from the axle engaging means.

gtheir stuffing boxes accessible from the in- 12. Locomotive booster mechanism comprising in combination a substantially horizontally disposed U-shaped bed plate, a

transversely extending upstanding wall section across each leg of the U, a crank pocket in front of each of said wall sections, and a booster cylinder on each section projecting rearwardly therefrom.

13. A railway booster comprising a U-' case and frame structure with apertured end p wall, and cylinders on said end wall with terior. of the casing through said openings.

l i In testimony whereof, I have hereunto Usigned my naIn e. MONTAGUE H. ROBERTS. 

